1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of control and navigation stations for watercraft such as yachts: specifically, the invention is directed to secondary navigation stations for boats such as, for instance, a center console vessel or other type of vessel such as a fishing vessel. The present invention is a novel combination of navigation station and covering for the console of the boat which allows a user to sit at an elevated position or stand at an elevated position while allowing the user to operate the vessel, which may typically be a fishing boat. The present invention represents an improvement in the state-of-the-art of secondary navigation stations because it allows smaller boats to incorporate a secondary navigation station which is elevated above the deck of the boat, thereby providing the advantages of a tower to those smaller vessels which heretofore may have been considered too small to incorporate an elevated tower for navigation and/or fishing use due to safety and stability concerns.
2. Background Art
It is well known in the art that fishing vessels often incorporate towers, commonly constructed of various structures comprising aluminum tubing, which allow a navigation station to be placed at an elevated position above the deck of a watercraft which allows for superior visibility when maneuvering the vessel and when sighting fish, schools of baitfish, birds, weed lines, changes in water color, and other visible indicators of the presence of game fish in the local area. Such superior visibility due to the elevated position of the observer may provide a distinct advantage when the operator of the vessel is navigating, fishing, or performing other water activities. Various structures have been used in prior art to provide this elevated station. Some of these structures incorporate navigation stations, and some are merely elevated platforms from which observations may be made.
It is also well known in the art of yacht design, however, that it is desirable that the center of gravity of a vessel be held as low as reasonably possible so as to increase the transverse stability of the yacht. This is especially desired in oceangoing vessels, as such vessels may often encounter waves, wind driven swells, wave chop and wind which may act independently or together to cause the craft to roll and pitch in the seas. If such rolling and pitching exceeds acceptable limits the watercraft may capsize, endangering the occupants and causing significant financial loss. Thus it is desirable that the center of gravity of a vessel be as low as reasonably possible in order to increase the stability of the watercraft, enabling the watercraft to be safely operated in heavier weather conditions than it would otherwise be able to safely operate in. It is further well known in the art of watercraft design that the addition of towers, sometimes called tuna towers, on a watercraft operates to raise the center of gravity and thus negatively affect the transverse stability of the craft. It is for this reason that larger, heavier watercraft typically may be equipped with tuna towers, and smaller, lighter watercraft typically are not equipped with tuna towers, because the smaller, lighter watercraft may be rendered unstable by the addition of such towers due to their lighter weight and the raising of the center of gravity beyond an acceptable height.
An example of a typical tuna tower of the prior art is depicted and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,732 to Irvine. This U.S. patent discloses a boat tower conversion kit for converting from a half tower to a full tower without the need for removal and/or destruction of the original half tower. A custom hardtop incorporates a central core platform with several integral reinforcing plates. The plates provide structural support for the later expansion of the half tower by adding the upper tower section and upper platforms. Leg members and latter members of the upper and lower tower sections automatically mate with one another in coaxial alignment and are structurally secured to one another through the interfacing integral reinforcing plates. Integral channels, wiring conduits and tubes provide for electrical wiring of electrical and mechanical components in conjunction with a custom platform core. The disclosure depicted in Irvine clearly shows the disadvantage of the tuna tower construction of the prior art. The tower of Irvine, when fully deployed, raises the center of gravity of the boat by virtue of the fact that the center of mass of the tower is far above the deck of the vessel. This means that the tuna tower of Irvine, which is typical of the prior art, must be only used on a large vessel of significant size and weight, typically 35 feet or larger. The tower of Irvine is not usable on a smaller, lighter craft such as watercraft in the 20 to 30 foot range because it would unacceptably raise the center of gravity of the vessel, which would lead to dramatically reduced transverse stability of the vessel in heavy seas and would likely lead to capsizing of the vessel.